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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve definitely heard about Harvard’s new report about grade inflation or, at least, seen posts on Sidechat about Amanda Claybaugh’s fated email. Flyby hears your concerns, and we also believe that there is more to the life of a college student than simply their GPA. So without further ado, here are some of the things that should actually be re-centered at Harvard.

Re-centering Rest and Relaxation

Let’s face it — when was the last time you got a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Whether you’re staying up all night in Lamont with a Celsius and a dream (not the REM kind) or being woken up every morning by construction outside your window, chances are you are not getting nearly enough sleep. Or even, when was the last time you had a weekend all to yourself? Our point still stands. Maybe if we had a fall break… cough, cough.

Re-centering Reasonable Coffee Prices in Harvard Square

There comes a moment when you realize that you are less hesitant to spend more than six dollars on a cup of coffee than you used to be. While you might think that you have a spending addiction, when you need your daily pick-up and a sweet treat to go along with it, you truly have no choice here. And without an increase in what we get in BoardPlus, which hasn’t happened since 2007, the choice becomes all the more existential. It’s either eight dollars at a cafe or Fogbuster until the end of finals, and we know our choice is clear.

Re-centering Sidequests

One may wonder why there are so many things happening simultaneously on campus if not to be sidequests. We must embrace doing things to procrastinate homework for the plot and following our interests, even if they’re a bit out of left field. Join that knitting circle! Go to that language table for a language you haven’t taken in a year! Listen to that talk about German philosophy even though you’ve never studied philosophy! Let yourself wander! This seems like a truly transformative experience.

Re-centering joy and whimsy

Not every night should be spent with a pset open, nor every afternoon at office hours. Bring back frolicking through your House courtyard, watching the (way too early) sunset from Week’s Bridge, and having movie nights with your suitemates. Close those Canvas and Gmail tabs, even if only for an hour. Harvard needs happiness, and not just in the form of GenEd 1025!

Re-centering reading Flyby

Studies show that reading a Flyby article every day can actually increase your lifespan! Well, not really. But you should do it anyway!

With such a vibrant campus, there are clearly so many things to take advantage of, and that could value re-centering. How could we pick just one, and how could that thing be GPA? Use your four years wisely!